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AMD Phenom II X4 955 AM3 CPU Review

Conclusion:

Overall, the AMD Phenom II X4 955 is a step in the right direction. During the majority of the scientific tests - which measure the CPU generally more than the rest of the system components - the Phenom II 955 outperformed the previous top AMD processor, the Phenom II X4 940, as well as the Intel Q9450 in most of the tests. While still not as fast as the Intel Core i7 920 processor, the Phenom II X4 955 is a well put together CPU that allows fast computing using the latest components on the market. Supporting both DDR2 and DDR3 based platforms, the Phenom II 955 gives you the flexibility to upgrade at your pace while having cutting edge components. Even in the video benchmarks, the Phenom II 955 gave a few frames per second increase over the Phenom II 940, which can mean the world with the resolutions of current monitors and the crisp 3D graphics that we all crave.

On the overclocking front, which OCC is all about, the Phenom II X4 955 lagged behind the Phenom II 940. No matter how much voltage I gave it, or how many adjustments I made, the CPU just did not want to budge. I attempted to suicide the voltage, and still the stability would not set in. With the Phenom II 940, I was able to get almost a 1GHz increase on air alone; however, with the Phenom II 955, the system would lock up with anything over 18.5x205Mhz. Since the Phenom II 955 is clocked higher than the Phenom II 940, it still has good overall speed when overclocked to almost 3.8GHz at 1.5 volts. With an expected release price of $245, the Phenom II 955 is still below the more expensive Core i7 920, and when you take into account the average price of a 790FX AM3 motherboard is $149, you can have a nice base for around $400 - versus the $500+ for an Intel Core i7 920 processor and X58 motherboard. And, you can still just purchase the Phenom II 955 and run it in your current AM2+ system for even less of an upgrade cost.